Despite the war
by Emily Malfoy05
Summary: Winter's nearing. It's cold outside and Harry and Luna are keeping each other warm.


Despite the war

A soft breeze was lingering over the grounds; yellow and red leaves were falling from the trees and one of them fell on top of Harry Potter's head. The boy quickly shook his dark, messy hair, before holding Luna even tighter; it was quite cold outside after all.

It felt strange to be back. Harry had never thought he'd return to this place, which had once been his home. Thousands of memories were lurking around every corner, behind every secret passageway and every painting. Even that bush growing a bit further reminded him of his schooldays.

Normally he would be at school now, attending seemingly endless classes and trying to concentrate on the dull voices of the teachers, but the school had been closed. "It was too dangerous to stay there," they all said. But if they only knew that Hogwarts was the safest place on earth, he thought, or it was before Dumbledore had died at least.

The war had resulted in many consequences, most of them too horrible to think of. Relatives of all sorts of families had been murdered. Many people, not only muggles, had been tortured and sometimes even to death. Mourning and grief were everywhere. You couldn't escape from it.

But it had also brought Harry and Luna together. They didn't know exactly how it had happened, but they were happy it did and they tried to enjoy what could be their last few moments together. Luna always made him smile, no matter how down he felt, how heavy the burden had become, or how much the world was working against him. She made it all seem bearable. She had this thing that made him feel warm inside. Was it love? She was confident about everything and she supported Harry with her whole heart. That made Harry feel confident himself and it made him love her even more. She cheered him up like she'd cast a spell on him. She was exactly what he needed.

Harry felt a shiver creeping up his spine and his fingers were starting to feel numb. He noticed that Luna's nose had become slightly pink and now matched perfectly with her fluffy pink earmuffs. He pulled her a bit closer and he relaxed against the wooden bench, looking up into the dark grey sky; it was going to rain any moment now.

Suddenly a leaf blurred his sight, as it had fallen right on top of his face. He chuckled silently and shook his head once more. He felt Luna shifting and when he looked down, he found her pretty face on his shoulder staring at him. She swiftly blinked a few times and moved a strand of hair out of Harry's face. A dazzling smile appeared on the edges of her mouth. Harry thought she was so beautiful when she was smiling.

Harry pressed a soft kiss on her forehead and took her hand. Unlike Harry, she was wearing gloves, velvety green ones. He squeezed her hand lightly and returned the smile. She was doing it again; with simply a smile she made him feel loved. It was a beautiful sincere smile, unlike any other: her smile.

His hands didn't feel numb anymore, nor did any other part of his body. It was like she had lit a fire inside of him, warming up his blood. She giggled: another heart-warming feature of hers.

Suddenly she averted her eyes; they were now staring into the sky.

'Looks like it's going to snow,' she said in a soft, dreamy voice. 'I like snow. Snow is cold and it has a unique shape. It makes me think of Christmas.'

Harry only smiled and nodded. He couldn't let all the heat escape through his lips, now that he was finally feeling warm inside.

Harry was hoping Luna knew a spell that could keep them dry, as it was going to rain and not snow. It was much too early for snow anyway.

'I once threw a snowball at a gniggle and it turned silver and started to sparkle,' she began. 'Gniggles are sweet creatures. They're also called "fairies of the snow".'

Harry had never heard of a 'gniggle' before, or a 'fairy of the snow', but that was just so Luna-ish.

Her bright blue eyes were still staring into the dreary sky, and her smile only widened. She let out a sigh and looked in Harry's eyes again.

'I love you, Harry James Potter,' she said randomly. 'I love you as much as my Auntie Sunners loved Periwinkie, and that is saying something...' Her eyes were twinkling. Harry chuckled.

'I love you too, Luna.'

Luna swung her arms around Harry and hugged him tightly. The hug lasted a while up until Luna suddenly pulled away and pointed her finger in the air.

'Look! It's snowing!'

And indeed, Harry saw a few snowflakes twirling out of the sky.


End file.
